UH’s Pruitt just misses no-hitter against Texas State

University of Houston right-hander Austin Pruitt took a no-hitter into the seventh inning Saturday in a 1-0 victory over Texas State in San Marcos.

Pruitt settled for a one-hit shutout, striking out a career-high 10 and not allowing a base runner to reach scoring position.

Pruitt, a senior from The Woodlands, retired 17 of the first 20 batters he faced before allowing a one-out single to Cody Lovejoy in the seventh. He faced 28 batters, one over the minimum, in the first complete-game shutout of his career.

The Bobcats had three base runners in the game (two walks and a hit batter), two of which were thrown out by catcher Caleb Barker attempting to steal second base.

The Cougars had only two hits, both courtesy of third baseman Jonathan Davis. Davis’ RBI double in the second inning drove in Justin Montemayor, who led off with a walk.

Texas State starter Taylor Black allowed one run and one hit in 7 1/3 innings.

Pruitt (2-0) currently has a string of 15 consecutive scoreless innings to begin the season. He has allowed four hits with 14 strikeouts and three walks.

The UH pitching staff did not throw a shutout in 54 games last season. The last shutout by the Cougars was May 21, 2011, when Mo Wiley and Codey Morehouse combined for a 14-0 win over Memphis.